Family cries foul over eviction

A family at Tokarara, in Port Moresby, is crying foul over their forceful eviction after members of the Police Dog Unit removed them from their family home on Saturday.

Belinda Logoso and her children, all below the age of 10, spent the night outside the comforts of their home after around 13 members of the K9 unit, with their dogs, forced them out without their belongings at around 12pm.

The property belongs to the National Housing Corporation, and was leased to her father, a former public servant, who is currently in his home province of Bougainville. Logoso has lived in that house since 1988, and said the individuals interested in the property are senior public servants within the Department for Community Development, Youth and Religion.

She claimed they were present during yesterday’s eviction though they did not produce any notice of eviction or documents to support their actions.

“Mipla spendim nait blo mipla lo autsaid lo kenves ya,” she said. (We spent the night out on these canvases.)

“Autsaid lo geit blo mipla tasol. Ol pikini em ol slip lo narapla haus. Ol narapla ol siblings blo mi wantem mipla slip autsaid tasol, na ol slipim ol insait lo haus. Ol i karim ol bia go insait, ol go dring insait, na ol karim ol bush naif wantem, tretenim mipla, kalap go antap, katim olgeta mango diwai kam daun.” (Just outside our gate. My other siblings and I slept outside while they slept in the house. They brought beer and drank inside, got bush knives and threatened us, then they cut the mango tree.)

This is the sixth time such an incident involving the same individuals has happened. Logoso said they started intimidating them since March.

This led to her arrest on the 10th of June, where she was released on K600 bail. She has taken the matter to court, and their case will be on Monday, the 5th of August.

“Tumoro Mandei ya em kot blo mi,” she said. “Mi kisim samons na gim lo ol na ol no ten ap tu. Lo kot lo taun tu ol no kam wantem housing commission.” (Tomorrow is my case. I handed them my summons but they did not turn up, not even during the hearing at downtown; they did not come with the housing commission.)

The Logosos are currently attempting to settle arrears that had accumulated over the two years after their father had stopped work. They were advised to pay 10 percent of the amount owed, while a three-month period was given to them in June to settle.

“Between that three months ya, ol man ya wok go kam yet lo haus. Ol wok kam harasim mipla nabaut na salim mipla kam autsaid lo haus. Ol wok distebim mipla tumas. So mi laik askim tasol nau, em wanem opinion blo Minista blo Hausing na Bryan Kramer tu mas tingting lo disla. Chekim ol polis.” (Between the three-month period, they kept coming to the house. They would harass us and force us out of the house. They continuously disturbed us. So I just want to ask, what is the Housing Minister’s opinion? And Bryan Kramer [Police Minister] must also think about this. He needs to check the police.)

Meantime, an individual from the other party, who did not want to be named, said they moved in because the family owes the NHC money, and their lease was terminated.

On the other hand, the NCD metropolitan superintendent, Perou N’Dranou, said he was not aware of any eviction exercise that was supposed to involve police.

(Belinda Logoso and her aunty, who is her late mother’s sister, pulling away the black canvas that was used to cover the fence after they were removed yesterday)

Author: 
Carmella Gware